By Chef David “Smitty” Smith ·
Wow, that was really tasty. So, you remember last week I did not give a recipe for the yogurt dressing because I said I wanted to experiment. Well, I did, and I have to say, it came out better than I thought, but first, let’s go back for anyone that missed last week’s article on marinating meat (available at TheTahoeWeekly.com).
I said there were two primary reasons for marinating meat – for flavor and to tenderize the meat. When chefs are learning our trade, we are taught the basics of marinating and the reasons behind it. When I learned about it, it was like learning anything new. Once my chef talked about how different densities in meat required different lengths of marinating time, it clicked and my first thought was how that made sense.
I mean, common sense says why would you need to marinate a piece of flaky white fish for the same amount of time as you would a dense piece of red meat? Of course, I also am a firm believer that there is no such thing as common sense until you hear it.
Now, I have to admit that I was lucky for learning from Tony, whom I will consider to be one of the best, as well as from his friend and fellow chef, Dietmar, who I worked for at the same time. It was like they were tag-team teaching me. It was Tony that taught me about the basics of marinating meat for different reasons and even did a few weeks on Indian cuisine to introduce me to dairy products as a tenderizer, as it is much more common to use dairy marinades in Indian dishes than in American dishes. It was Dietmar, however, who elaborated more on how you need to change the normal oil and vinegar marinade ratios if you want to leave the meat in the marinade for a longer time period.
Over the years, things get left behind and shortcuts are taken. I know I’ve wanted to get the most flavor I can into meats and I know that I have made marinades that didn’t follow the rules of changing the ratios from time to time. I also know it has been a wicked long time since I’ve made any dairy marinades, so I had to go searching. Last week, I had used a basic yogurt marinade that I found. It had flavor alright, and even did tenderize some, but for me it was a weird twang I wasn’t sure about, so I did a little experimenting with it. I will admit that when I tasted this marinade before adding the meat, I was still a little skeptical and thought it would be better if I had added some mint and used it for lamb, but once the meat was cooked, I had to admit, “Wow, that was really tasty!”
So, after all of this, what are my personal thoughts on marinating? I think with the cuts of meat we are most likely to grill or pan cook, there really isn’t that much of a need to tenderize it, so just go for the flavor enhancement. If you know you might be leaving the meat in the marinade for longer periods of time, just cut back on the wine and vinegar (the acids) or the pineapple and ginger (the enzymes), and add more oil for moisture.
For tougher cuts of meat, I will normally end up braising them instead of grilling anyway, which tenderizes the meat through its longer, moisture-cooking process. I can’t guarantee that you will notice any difference in tenderness without doing a comparison test with a piece of the same cut of meat marinated in a different marinade or not marinated at all. But, if you want to try something different that adds great flavor, try marinating a piece of meat for 24 hours in this marinade and grill it. Enjoy.
Yogurt Beef Marinade
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T paprika
¼ T coriander
1 T thyme
1 t ground rosemary
1 T oil
½ T balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, thin sliced
2 T brown sugar
Mix all of the ingredients well. Cut the meat into 2-inch strips. Place in a plastic baggie with the marinade covering all of the meat. Refrigerate for 24 hours or so before grilling, turning the baggie at least once. Grill and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.
Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. He has been a chef for PGA’s Memorial Tournament for more than 15 years and ran the main kitchen at the World Games. For more information and archived copies of Stir it Up, visit chefsmitty.com. Smitty welcomes questions and comments at smitty@chefsmitty.com, tmmsmitty@gmail.com or (530) 412-3598.
